Retrofabulous Holiday Craft Round-Up!

Here's a smattering of the most popular holiday craft posts on The Impatient Crafter blog! If you haven't watched our new YouTube video, it's a hoot in a handbasket! Have a wonderful New Year's Eve and remember (before you put too much pressure on yourself) that every day, every moment really, offers us the opportunity to shift our lives for the better. So if you resolve and you fall off of the wagon, just hop back on. No worries, no pressure! If you wander over to Craft. You. you can read yesterday's post about having a HAPPY new year. Take a gander, join the party and stay tuned because we'll be launching the first class over there in the new year.

xoxo
Madge

Retrofabulous New Year's Fascinator

Copyright Margot Potter 2011

Well heck and howdy doody, it's almost New Year's! I absolutely can not wait to bid this year adieu and welcome in 2012, how about you?! We whipped up a little video with a Retrofabulous New Year's Fascinator tutorial below.  I sing, I craft, I act like a dork...what could be more festive?!

xoxo,
Madge

iLoveToCreate Teen Crafts: New Year's Necklace by Avalon Potter

New Year's Necklace Copyright 2011 Avalon Potter

New Year's Necklace
Avalon Potter for iLoveToCreate Teen Crafts
"Teen crafted, mom approved."

My mom has been working a new video tutorial using black and white scrapbook papers. I loved her project and wanted to do a variation. Since it's almost New Year's, I added lots of sparkles so it would feel just like the day itself. This project is very easy to make and when you are done you will have something that you can wear on New Years or any day of the year!

Materials
Double sided black and white toile scrapbook paper
Large jump ring
Mini-ribbon bow tie
Aleene's Tacky Line Roll
Tulip Dimensional Fabric Paint glitter in gold
Tulip Fashion glitter in light gold jewel
Gold chain

Tools
Scissors
Ruler
Bone folder


Instructions

1.Take your black and white paper and cut out a piece that is 2.5"x6.5".

2.Take the piece and start to fold back and forth on the long side making each fold about a .5" wide. use a bone folder to make strong creases.

3.Once you have folded the whole piece fold the ends together from the center point making a fan.

4.Where the fan edges meet adhere Tacky Line Roll all the way down then pinch the middle pieces together.

5.Next put a thin line of Dimensional gold glitter on the folds and on the bottom. Then shake more gold glitter on top of that, tap off excess and allow to dry.

6.On the top attach a little white bow using Tacky Line Roll.

7. Take a large jump ring and string it through the top where the fan meets.

8. Slide a chain through the jump ring. You now have a fun and festive New Year's necklace!

New Year's Eve Jewelry Idea!

"You must remember this,

A kiss is just a kiss,

A sigh is just a sigh.

The fundamental things apply,

As time goes by."

As Time Goes By by Herman Hupfeld

I'm quasi-back to work today, we're shooting a new project video for New Year's Eve!  It's a really cute one, so stay tuned!  It would look perfect with this New Year's silhouette necklace I made for iLoveToCreate a few years back.  I show it every year, but this piece is still a top holiday traffic driver on the blog, imagine that! You can find instructions for it here.

Avalon has a super fun paper crafted jewelry project for you tomorrow, until then...craft on with your bad selves!

Cheers
Madge

Merry, Merry, Happy, Happy! The Final Craft of Christmas! Huzzah!

Retrofabulous Holiday Necklace Copyright Margot Potter 2009

Wow! It's Christmas Eve! We made it! Huzzah!

I did not manage to whip another retrofabulous project out of my...hat. Actually I did, and it actually is a hat, but it's a New Year's project and we decided to make it into a video. So stay tuned! Until then, here is one of the most popular holiday projects on the blog. Click here to get instructions!

I hope that whatever you celebrate this holiday season, it is merry and bright. I'll be back on Monday.

Love
Madge

The 12 Retrofabulous Crafts of Christmas: When Vintage Crafts Go Terribly, Terribly Wrong.

Click on picture pop up to read text, just do it.  Read it all, you will be glad you did. 

Well at least they offered a caveat...

Well, whatever, McCalls.

Today's whimsical holiday craft illustrates the dark side of my stash of vintage craft magazines. Perhaps not so retrofabulous, this is what happens when good crafts go terribly, terribly wrong. McCalls, what were you thinking? If anyone makes these masks, I will do a happy dance. I have included the instructions for your edification and entertainment. I will even send you a set of my books and some studio swag and I will model it in a The Impatient Crafter video. That is if you make one for me. If you make one for you, well good luck with that.

Please take a moment to carefully read these pages as something is awry...or Madge has spent far too much time playing with fonts in Photoshop. Which is pretty much the same thing.

I am off to see the Hair Fairy and get the roots done. I am so, so feeling the red hair vibe...

I pull one last crafty trick out of my arse tomorrow, but I am taking Christmas off, people. I have seriously earned it!

Cheers,
Madge

The 12 Retrofabulous Crafts of Christmas: The Audacity of Audacity

Earrings Copyright Margot Potter 2011 

Some of you will note that something is awry with the text in this photo...hmm...

The 12 Retrofabulous days of Christmas are marching on...and Madge is getting just a little silly.  I mean, how many retrofabulous ideas can one woman be expected to whip out?! 

I was asked to create three coordinating jewelry pieces for a runway event. There is nothing I love more than making ginormous Haute Couture creations! It's a matter of scale and proportion. Yes, that's it, scale and proportion. They're a skootch heavy and intentionally organic, but I love the bold simplicity of them. The set has a Calderesque appeal, if you've not seen Alexander Calder's wire jewelry, you simply have to check it out, stunning stuff that. His work was a huge source of inspiration in my new book New Dimensions in Bead and Wire Jewelry! I'm not sharing the set just yet...here is a teensy weensy sneak peek. 

Sneak peek Twisted Crystal set...Copyright 2011 Margot Potter ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

If you'd like to learn how to make similar earrings, I just happen to have New Dimensions in Bead and Wire Jewelry available for purchase for $17.00 on my Books Page AND if you order it from me, it comes SIGNED with a little piece of ephemera from my collection. Shipping is included, BTW (US only, sorry.) How cool is that? IKR? (That was for Avalon who thinks her mother painfully uncool.)

If you'd like a chance to WIN a FREE SIGNED copy of the book with a free piece of ephemera...just leave a comment here. Tell me something AUDACIOUS about you! Be bold! Be not afraid! Toot that horn 'cause ain't nobody gonna toot it like you, Louis Armstrong.  I will pick a winner on New Year's DAY next Sunday!  Make sure you leave an email contact with your comment so I can let you know if you win!

I was feeling a little frustrated and discouraged yesterday. I was also feeling a little melancholy, grumpy and bitchy, for good measure. I was even feeling a little freaked out and panicked.  But in my defense, it's been a crazy ass roller coaster ride for the past few months. Sometimes a little audacity and cheeky good fun is just what the doctor ordered.

In fact, I'm going to be talking about audacity today at one of my other sites, Craft. You. Have you checked it out? Why not get on board for the new year? It's all about making your goals, plans, hopes and dreams into reality, it's all about lifecrafting. I am going to launch classes soon...I'm just sayin'...

Love
Madge

12 Crafts of Christmas: Retrofabulous Pop Art Andy Warhol Ornapendants!

Andy Warhol Ornapendants™

A Gleefully Ebullient Andy Warhol Photographed by William John Kennedy

Has your ho lost it's ho ho,

From the holiday slog?

Is your mistletoe lonely?

Is your egg lacking nog?

Has the tinsel gone crinkly?

Did you burn the yule log?

Well here's a little something festive to cheer you up! Deck the halls? Sure. But what about you, Jingle Bells? What about you and your halls getting a little Pop Art makeover?

Nothing says Ho Ho Ho like an Andy Warhol Ornapendant™!

If you'd like the 411 on how to turn your garment and accessory tags from trash into treasures, just click here and you will magically be transported back in time to the original post.

Cool, huh?

Oh and CHECK OUT our fab new Zazzle shop where you too can be the BQOTU™ (Bead Queen of the Universe) and you can get your Super Girlie Good Power™ in spades!  Now that should cheer you up!  Yay!

xoxo
Madge

The 12 Retrofabulous Crafts of Christmas: Instant Ancester Victorian Style Frame

Instant Ancestors Beaded Frame Copyright Margot Potter 2005

You will be SHOCKED to hear that I collect old black and white Victorian era photographs.

I know, right?!(Or IKR as my super texty kid says)

I love pondering on the people in the pictures, wondering where life took them. Fascinating stuff, that.

I would also like to state for the record that if they made those shoes in my size, I'd be all over them like glitter on a glue stick.

This project was published in a magazine a few years back. The idea is to buy a cheap metal filigree frame at a discount store, they have tons of these at Target, TJ Maxx or Home Goods. Then you use 20-24 gauge Artistic Wire (soft copper based wire works best for this) to attach SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS crystals and pearls and swags of chain. I grasp the wire ends, wrap and twist them tightly, cut off excess and tuck the tails under with chain nose pliers. If you can't find this style of crystal chain, any gun metal or aged brass chain will work, just add a few dangling crystals to give it some sparkle. If you have some actual old pics of your ancestors, use those! If not, make up a good story about your new ancestor to go with the gift.

My Great Grandfather was a well known Philadelphia area photographer who specialized in hand tinted photos. His work is in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Unfortunately, I only have one of his pictures and it is not hand tinted. So I just took a pic from my ephemera collection, scanned and colored with cotton swabs and powdered pigments. The colors here are honestly a bit too heavy handed, I find eye shadows work well to give a more subtle look.

This project should take about an hour, so if you're looking for a last minute idea...here you go! 

Cheers!
Madge

12 Crafts of Christmas! iLoveToCreate Retrofabulous Christmas Craftabration: Upcycled Bingo Card Ornament

"Games People Play" Upcycled Bingo Card Ormament Copyright Margot Potter 2011

iLoveToCreate: Retrofabulous Crafts

Games People Play 

Upcycled Bingo Card Ornament

Margot Potter

"These are...your grandmother's crafts. Ya gotta problem with that?"

I have hoarded gathered lots of little vintage goodies over the years. As I move often, larger items are given away, but the little trinkets and treasures come along for the journey. It is fascinating how these tiny momentoes of days past have survived. Who tossed these dice? Who scooted this little scotty dog around a Monopoly board? These little doo dads, they've seen things. They carry a small piece of history in them. I have always felt like I was born in the wrong era. Vintage things fascinate me. From my first visits to rummage sales to my years of thrift store trolling, to my years of wearing vintage head to toe, I am enamored with and deeply smitten with the past-yet firmly rooted in the present. It's a dichotomy to be sure.

Speaking of presents, variations on this theme make lovely gifts. I have stacks of old BINGO cards, with crisp and clean graphics and they make the perfect background for all sorts of fun collages. In this case, I used old game parts, letter beads, tinsel and more to make a lovely ornament with a truly vintage appeal. Add as much or as little, glitter or no, make this yours...or more aptly...make it suit the recipient. Note that all number elements on this card have something in common...what could it be? Hmmm...

Materials

Vintage or new BINGO card (you could opt to use cardstock and adhere a copy of an old card, buy a repro set or look for these on auction sites, they're fairly easy to find.)
Various small vintage or new game pieces. I used a bingo chip, a Monopoly game piece and dice (Old games are easy to score at thrift stores, flea markets or on auction sites)
Plastic letter beads to spell: "Merry Christmas"
Small chipboard scrapbook pieces 2 5
Wired red tinsel to form hanger
Silver tinsel to decorate top of card
Tiny wooden clothespins to attach tinsel hanger
Wooden star
Tulip Beads in a Bottle crystal color (or Traci Bautista's Collage Pauge Sparkles)
Tulip Metallics 3-d paint silver
Aleene's Quick Dry Tacky Glue
Aleene's Tacky Line Rolls

Tools

Scissors
Tweezers or chain nose pliers
No stick sheet to protect work surface

1. Cut red tinsel long enough to form a large bail on top of card. Mine is 6". Cut smaller tinsel to fit space at top of card where red tinsel attaches at the top.

2. Use Beads in a Bottle in crystal to color the dice, scotty dog, plastic letters, tiny clothes pins and paper elements.

3. Stipple the silver paint on star and paint around edges using foam brush. Allow all elements to dry.

4. Attach silver tinsel to center top of card using Tacky Line roll.

5. Use glue to adhere larger elements.

6. Use glue and tweezers or chain nose pliers to place plastic letters across bottom of card.

7. Attach red tinsel to front top of card on both sides with tiny clothes pins.

Copyright Margot Potter 2011

The Twelve Crafts of Christmas with the Crafty Bloggers!

Okay so there are only 11 links, but I'm hosting 12 DAYS of crafts so we're good, right?

Thanks to those brave souls who dared to leave a comment yesterday. It's so much work hosting several blogs and they don't really pay the rent, in fact they don't really pay at all. So it's nice to get that little friendly pat on the back now and again!

Cheers,
Madge

My Linky Tools are MIA, but I have paid them off and am hoping they release my images and links asap!

The 12 Crafts of Christmas: Retrofabulous 3-d Foamcore Toile Christmas Tree

Retrofabulous 3-d Foamcore Toile Christmas Tree!

Fab DIY trees from 1960 Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Ideas!

Oh magazine, you are so big and bursting with fab ideas you can't fit on my scanner!

I know you're out there, but you're all so LURKY. Talk to me! Don't be afraid! I'm nice and funny! I like sparkly things! I talk to everyone in real life, it drives my daughter nuts. Standing in line, walking through a store, waiting for a plane, riding in a cab, yelling obscenities at them in my car when they drive like idiots. It would be so lovely to hear from you. Just a little, 'Hi Madge!' or 'Thanks for the weird but kinda cool projects' would truly maketh my day. No woman is an island, though this woman would like to live on one, in the tropics, got that, Santa?

Retrofabulous Foamcore Toile Christmas Tree
Copyright 2011 Margot and Andrew Potter

Okay so here it is! The big reveal! Our 4' foam core 3-d Christmas Tree! I was inspired by the funky crafty trees in this 1960 BHG Christmas helps!  Too fun! Just so you get the full vision, if this was a shop window or a set there would be three of these in varied sizes. There would be faux glittered snow piled around them and large glittery filigree snowflakes hanging from clear fishing line. I would make a vintage ribbon style banner that read, "Joyeux Noel" and there would be a big black and white blow up of the Eiffel Tower in the background. I would be wearing a red beret embellished with big shiny pailettes, a black and white striped full skirted, wasp waisted Dior style dress with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS lined up on the edge of each stripe, a large patent leather belt, a jet beaded black bolero style 3/4 sleeve jacket and some fabulous sparkly Madge style jewelries with red lips and thick cat eye Audrey Hepburn style eye liner or the mannequin would be wearing that. I can't spend all day in a shop window.

If you'd like to know how we made this kitschy creation...below are pics and instructions! Yes, it's another EPIC 12 Days of Retrofabulous Christmas Craftabration post! YAY! Good GRIEF, Charlie Brown...is it Christmas...yet?!

Materials

2 32"x40" white foam core sheets
1 slightly larger cardboard box (for template)
Krylon Black Spray Paint
Krylon Silver Glitter Blast Spray Paint (We recommend you consider painting the tree forms silver first, we did not and had to use three cans of this stuff...also this is incredibly stinky and glittery so do this OUTSIDE or in the garage.)
Large swirly Stencil (I have had this for years, but you can find similar at the big box craft chains or easily make your own or free hand the swirls if your super crafty like that.)
4" wide round shape for tracing (We used a ramekin.)
White garland
Tiny battery operated 20 LED light strands
Large rectangular shoe box
Coordinating silver wrapping paper (We used decorative kraft paper, which is really thick and sturdy.)
Glue sticks (We used about four big sticks!)

Tools

Utility knife
String to measure arcs
Tape measure
Hot glue gun
Scissors
Pencil or marker for tracing
Hot Glue Helpers

Head Elf at Studio Madge: Drew "Archimedes" Potter doing the math!

Look, Ma, a template!

1. Make a template for tree using cardboard box. Tree should be full length of foam core and the bottom branch area the full width. You have to do some math and use string and pen to get consistent arcs. Here are some arc drawing tips.  It helps if someone on your team can do the math, I would dive in and eyeball this sucker, but thankfully Drew did the math. Math is fun! Have fun! Now give yourself a 'mathy' nickname like Pythagoras or Archimedes! Yay!

Trace and cut!

2. Trace template on foam core and cut out trees with utility knife. Be careful, these knives are super sharp.

3. Measure to the center point on both trees, use utility knife to cut 1/4" slot from top to center of one tree and from bottom to center of the other. They slide together to form an x.

Spray outside!

4. Spray trees with Glitter Blast...outside.

4. Use your round form to trace and cut out circles, these fall at the same spot on each branch in a straight line from each other. Use a ruler to center the circles before you mark and cut. Cut 12 total circles, we did this after glitter blasting, but you can do it before. Either way!

Stencil and Spray!

5. Stencil tree, mask area around stencil to prevent over spray. Line up the stencil on each side so they will line up when tree is assembled. You may want to have two or three stencils. You have to stencil 12 times. We did one side on each side and flipped stencil and repeated on other.

NOTE: There are no more step out pics, as we were both busy making the rest of the tree from here on out...but I think it's all fairly self explanatory!

6. Wrap box like a present, don't worry if it's not perfect, no one will unwrap it. As long as it looks good on top, that is all that matters. You may use a bone folder and do math if that's your thing, I just dove in and went for it. Leave the lid off, you don't need it.

7. Place tree in center of box, trace and cut out x form with utility knife leaving a little space for the lights to come through.

8. Secure battery packs to inside corners of box using hook and loop tape. Thread light strands thought points of x form on box, one per form, these will be glued to the edge of your tree.

9. Insert tree. You can glue it down if you like with hot glue or just insert. FYI: you won't be able to take it apart once you add lights and garland.

10. You need two people to do the next part and I recommend Hot Glue Gun Helpers because even with them I burned my fingertips about four times. Damn you, hot glue! So the lights are attached from the bottom up curving along the arcs with hot glue. You have to turn the tree over and it is awkward. Don't worry about attaching them to the bottom of each arc, pull them taught and attach to the tops and then when you add garland you can secure the bottom lights.

11. Add garland, I did full glue on top and glue dabs on bottom where each light hit on the strands. This secures it all to the tree branches. This is kinda stressful and you will get burned, so if you like wine or beer or perhaps a nice snifter of wassail, you may want to bust it out along with some lidocaine cream.

12. We were on a big deadline, so we added a ribbon topper. If we had time, we'd have done a 3-d star. If you want to make the flower ornaments, the instructions are here.

13. Phew.

Happy Holidaze! 

The 12 Crafts of Christmas: Crystallized(tm) 3-d Paper Flower Ornaments

Layered Crystallized Die Cut Paper Flowers pre-grommets-love, love, love these K&Co. papers!

This magazine is so big, it won't fit on my scanner!  Yay!  Christmas Ideas 1960 Copyright Better Homes and Gardens

I will be making one of these eventually, but I was in a HURRY and the die cutter saved the day!  Isn't this yummy?!

This is part one of a two part post. My DH and I crafted up a storm the past two days and made something super fun together. Okay, I came up with an idea and stood over his shoulder directing while he executed the first half of it.  Then even with Cathie and Steve's Hot Glue Gun Helpers, I managed to burn the f*%$ four letter expletive beginning with the letter 'f' out of my finger tips working on the second half.  Yay!  What fun! 

This is part of what we made...but tune in tomorrow for the BIG REVEAL! I do mean B I G.

Did I mention it would be big?  I just want to be sure you understand the scope and scale of this.  Bigger than a bread box, smaller than a car big. 

But I digress...

In my stash of retrofabulous craft magazines, there are so many fabulous paper ornaments it would make your head spin. We all think ourselves clever, but honestly our grandmother's could craft circles around us.  However we do have some knifty tools she would have LOVED. There is so much good stuff in these mags, I could spend most of next year just on Retrofabulous Christmas Crafts. I am particularly smitten with the paper flowers, the tissue kind we *all used to make when we were kids. (*Meaning all of us of a certain age.) So taking a cue from the paper ornament idea, and bringing in some modern convenience for the impatient crafter...I had this stack of gorgeous double sided paper from K & Company, a Sizzix layered flower die and a Big Shot and away I went.

Fun, fast...fabulous!

Crystallized 3-d Paper Flower Ornaments
Margot Potter

Materials:
Double sided scrapbook paper (something of a nice cardstock weight)
Sizzix Flower Layers #4 655370
Flat back SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS (I used Swarovski sew on twist 3221 and flat back checkerboard 2493 Crystal 001 foil backs)
Small dimensional foam stickers
Aleene's Dry Adhesives Tape
Gunmetal or black grommets
Traci Bautista's Collage Pauge Sparkles or Ranger Stardust Stickles
18 or 20 gauge stainless steel wire

Tools
Sizzix Big Shot
Crop-a-dile
Foam brush or fingertip
Pencil or pen
Wire shears
Round nose pliers
Chain nose pliers

1. Select papers, mine were dark background with white accents on one side and white background with dark on the other, that way I could layer them alternating the backgrounds for dimension. Die cut your flowers, you will only need the largest and medium sized layer. You'll need two medium layers for every large layer.

2. Use a pencil or pen to roll the petals of the smaller flower into a curved shape. Repeat for all smaller flowers.

3. Use a foam brush or finger tip to add glitter to the lighter background layers. Allow to dry. You can opt to glitter it all up or even add dimensional glitter, totally up to you!  We had a quick deadline, so I schmeared and moved on with my day.

3. Adhere layers together on both sides using glue tape.

4 Place dimensional stickers on back of your flat back embellishments, I used four for each square and two for each circle shape. Attach to center of flower on both sides.

5. Attach a grommet to the longest petal on each flower. This helps give the paper strength.

6. We used steel wire to create s-hook shapes so the flowers could hang. Use shears and not cutters on steel wire or your cutters will die a sad death.  For a standard tree, you can make a regular hook with a larger loop to accommodate petal.

The Twelve Crafts of Christmas: Wine Bottle Gift Tag Wreath

Will the Retrofabulosity EVER stop?!

No. No it won't, galdangy!

You can get the step by step instructions for this kicky little wine bottle ornament right here, just click on the text! If you don't have any mini-wreath forms, just use 18 gauge wire and make one yourself.  You can do it, don't fret, my pet.

If you'd like to know what Madge wants for Christmas, a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc sounds FAB-U.

xoxo
Madge

The Twelve Crafts of Christmas! iLoveToCreate Teen Crafts: Super Cute Santa Mini Canvas

Super Cute Santa Mini Canvas Copyright  Avalon Potter

(Mom here: Ho ho ho!  It's day two of the 12 Crafts of Christmas at The Impatient Crafter blog!  Huzzah!  Miss Avalon made an adorable retrofabulous mini-canvas using a permission free Dover clip art image and some collage elements including an acrylic letter, rubber star stamp and a wooden snowflake.  It's all put together with Aleene's Tacky Glue and made sparkly with Traci Bautista's Sparkles Collage Pauge.  Love, love, love that stuff.  I made my own version with a Victorian era postcard image from my ephemera collection, a vintage bottle cap, some new vintage themed collage elements, stacked stars and a sprig of tinsel.  These are so incredibly fun to make...we got the canvases with coordinating easels at Michael's.  You could glue the canvas to the easel, add some wire and make some super cute artist ornaments!)

Super Cute Santa

Avalon Potter for iLoveToCreate
Teen Crafted, Mom Approved

Recently I was out shopping with my mom when I stumbled upon these miniature easels and canvases. I immediately knew that I had to use them for a project because they were so cute. So I bought two, one for me and one for my mom. Since Christmas is right around the corner I added Santa , a snowflake, and the rest is history. I hope you enjoy it!

Materials

Mini canvas and easel
Permission free sized image (Mine is from Dover Books Holiday Clip Art)
Acrylic letter
Wooden snowflake
Tiny star stamp
Traci Bautista's Collage Pauge
Aleene's Quick Dry Tacky Glue
Scribbles 3D Paint Pens Primary Colors (red)

Tools

Computer with publishing software
Printer
Scissors
Foam brush

Instructions

1. Select a bold image, size to fit canvas on a computer and print.

2. Cut image out with scissors.

3. Take your decoupage medium and paint it on the back of your Santa using foam brush. Put the Santa on the canvas and apply more decoupage medium, on top and all over the canvas. Let dry.

4.While that dries paint your snowflake red. Let dry.

5.Take your letter and attach to the bottom right of your canvas. Apply glue to the back of your snowflake and attach to the top left of your canvas.

6.Use your red paint and little star stamp to stamp the top right and bottom left of your canvas.

7.Enjoy!

Victorian Mini Canvas Copyright Margot Potter 

(So many sparkles, I couldn't get a clear pic!  Go Sparkles Pauge!)

The TWELVE (Retrofabulous) Crafts of Christmas! Day One!

Make Christmas Pretty...With Balls! (And Brini, Madge and MaryEllen)

Yup, I'm all over it like glitter on a glue stick! Welcome to the Twelve Crafts of Christmas here at The Impatient Crafter blog. Today's kick off is a video produced by my dear friend Brini Maxwell. We met up in her former Manhattan flat a couple of years back and had a blast playing with balls! Deck the halls...with balls! Huzzah!  Brini's alter ego, Ben Sander, has launched a fascinating new site called The Obscurity Factor, if you love movies and kitsch...you have got to go check it out. 

Stay tuned for more holiday retrofabulosity, Avalon has created a tiny masterpiece for tomorrow's post.

Cheers,
Madge

Retrofabulous Christmas Craftabration: Suzy Snowflake Snowlady

Here comes Suzy Snowflake...

Suzy Snowflake Copyright 2011 Margot Potter

Snow Couple Copyright 1966 Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Ideas

Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Ideas Magazine Cover Copyright 1966

This is perhaps one of my favorite projects...ever. I spent three full days carefully working on this, waiting patiently for the layer upon layers of material to dry. There was one craftastrophic moment with her nose, which I fixed with a few new layers of faux snow and a bead...PHEW! She is a little kitschy crafterpiece inspired by a project in a 1966 Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Ideas magazine and I am completely smitten. She was a labor of love. Not for a book or a magazine or a manufacturer, but just for the love of making. I know, she's funky, she's weird...she's...well...totally Madge.

Suzy Snowflake Copyright 2011 Margot Potter

Suzy Snowflake Close Up Copyright 2011 Margot Potter

I used a variety of materials including a generous sprinkling of SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS (check out her tiny jewelries and her arms), fabric flowers, Aleene's Glitter Snow, Aleene's Quick Dry Tacky Glue, pink and snowflake sequins, tinsel ball chain ribbon, pink bubble and glitter organza ribbon, head pins and eye pins, Aleene's Fabric Fusion tape, 20 gauge Beadalon German style wire...and Stickles glitter glue in Stardust from Ranger. I used Sharpee pens to color in her facial features.  I scored these peppermint beads a few years back at my friend Stan's shop. I don't know if he has any left, but his url is www.greatcraftworks.com. I got the mini-flocked trees on close out a few years ago, just added glitter, sequins, ball chain and a peppermint bead tree topper.  If you make something similar, be sure to use steel or hard tension armatures, she needs stability, regular craft wire will not work.  There is an armiture wiring her body together and a second armiture wiring her to the styrofoam stand. She needs to be free from the stand during the embellishment process.When you glue headpins with embellishments into her or the stand, make sure you dab some Tacky Glue on the stem of the headpin. This keeps them from working themselves back out over time.

Suzy Snowflake Copyright Margot Potter 2011

A crafty angel donated a HUGE plethora of vintage craft magazines to Studio Madge this weekend. There is so much inspiration inside my head is spinning! Huge thanks to Erin Holloway (and Ms. Phylma.) You are at least seventeen different kinds of awesome! (Check out Erin's tatting work, a ma zing!)

Stay tuned for more Retrofabulosity from Studio Madge for the Holidaze and beyond! And if you've not heard this lovely holiday song yet, below is a YouTube video with the incomparable Rosemary Clooney singing Suzy Snowflake. Divine.

Cheers,
Madge